If school systems must lay off teachers, the layoffs should be based on performance, not
seniority, New York State voters say 85 - 12 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released
today.

Support for performance-based layoffs is strong among all groups, including 75 - 20
percent among voters in households with a union member, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-
uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Voters with children in public school back performance-based
layoffs 90 - 7 percent.

By a 50 - 22 percent margin, New York State voters have a favorable opinion of public
school teachers, with 25 percent who haven't heard enough about them to form an opinion.
Parents of public school students have a 60 - 22 percent favorable opinion.

But voters say 51 - 39 percent that teachers' unions play a negative rather than a positive
role in improving the state's educational system. Public school parents say 56 - 37 percent that
teachers' unions play a negative role while voters in union households say 50 - 44 percent that
teachers' unions play a positive role.

"By a huge majority, voters from every group oppose LIFO - last-in-first-out," said
Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Voters, especially
voters with kids in public school, want to keep the best teachers on the job, and to heck with
seniority.

"All those ads by the teachers' union may not be working exactly as planned: New
Yorkers like the people who teach their kids, but they don't like the union that placed the ads."

"And voters reject by almost 2-1 margins some fundamental pillars of teacher contracts:
They support 64 - 33 percent merit pay for outstanding teachers and they say 62 - 33 percent it
should be easier to fire bad teachers," Carroll added.

A total of 63 percent of New York State voters are "very concerned" or "somewhat
concerned" that Albany's focus on the state budget deficit might prevent passage of ethics
reform legislation. This concern is shared by all groups in all areas of the state.

Similarly, a total of 56 percent of voters are "very concerned" of "somewhat concerned"
that focus on the state budget might prevent passage of non-partisan redistricting legislation.
Again concern is shared by all groups and regions.

"Will focus on the budget imperil the chances of changes in ethics rules? Voters are
worried," Carroll said. "They're worried, too, about the chances of non-partisan legislative and
congressional re-districting."
Same-Sex Marriage

New York State voters support 54 - 39 percent legislation that would allow same-sex
couples to marry. This compares to 56 - 37 percent support in a January 27 Quinnipiac
University poll.

In today's survey, same-sex marriage wins 68 - 23 percent support among Democrats and
56 - 38 percent support among independent voters. Republicans oppose the measure 65 -
31 percent. The measure wins support among upstate, suburban and New York City voters by
similar margins. Men support it 52 - 43 percent while women support it 56 - 35 percent.

From February 15 - 21, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,457 registered voters with a
margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the
nation as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or
follow us on Twitter.

27. How concerned are you that the state government's focus on the budget
deficit might prevent passage of ethics reform legislation? Very concerned,
somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?

28. How concerned are you that the state government's focus on the budget
deficit might prevent passage of non-partisan redistricting legislation? Very
concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?